Dr Zoey Durmic, Research Fellow in the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, attributes much of where she is today to the pathway she set upon as the EHB Lefroy Fellow at UWA.
During her Fellowship, 2003-2006, Dr Durmic pioneered laboratory techniques at UWA which began a rich period of discovery of the value of Australian native shrubs for the care of Merino sheep.
She also helped establish the concept “clean, green and ethical (CGE) animal production”, designed to assist producers to respond to societal demands for minimising drugs and environmental footprint in livestock reproduction.
Dr Durmic’s contributions continue to this day, having completed 20 years of research and postgraduate training.
With expertise in ruminant nutrition and microbiology, methane mitigation strategies, feed additives and plant bioactivity, she is investigating the manipulation of gut function for improved animal health, productivity, and methane mitigation.
The Australian red meat industry’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030. This will require a combination of approaches from changing grazing management practices and land-use, to changing the animal, what it eats and gut microbiome.
Dr Durmic’s research into feed from native plants, organic horticultural waste and plant extracts is assisting the development of systems that reduce the environmental footprint of livestock in Australia and in other parts of the world for more sustainable agricultural practices.
The EHB Lefroy Fellowship was established in 1969 by the Lefroy Family with a bequest from Sir Edward Lefroy. Since then it has supported the research of 11 Fellows whose important contributions over five decades to research, teaching and training in agriculture have been felt at UWA, nationally and internationally.
In 2021, UWA commenced a fundraising campaign to increase the value of the bequest from its current $1.2 million to $3 million. This will enable the support of continuous fellowships that will make invaluable contributions to agricultural research, teaching, training and practises around the world.
If you are interested in supporting the EHB Lefroy Fellowship appeal, please contact Laura Burton, Development Manager on +61 8 6488 4222 or via email [email protected]. Find Dr Durmic's research profile here.